In their own words: Stories from North Queensland First Nation Elders

Recorded in 2022, this collection of four interviews recognises and celebrates First Nations Elders of North Queensland. Each interview features a short digital story as well as a much longer, indepth oral history.

Laurie Padmore

Uncle Laurie Padmore is an Elder of the Dulgubarra-Yidinji (rainforest) people. He has been involved in Aboriginal education, community and cultural sharing of traditions and language. On the fourth weekend of October every year, the township of Yungaburra comes alive with the longest running festival in Queensland, the Tableland Folk Festival. Uncle Laurie has opened the festival with a Welcome to Country. He also introduced the giant Elder puppet Janggaburru, created by Daniele Poidomani's Memetica company, and used the opportunity with the puppet to provide the greater community of Yungaburra with a way to learn Aboriginal naming, labelling and language. Interviewed by Nathan Williams on 21 June 2022.

You can watch Laurie's digital story (1 minute) below or watch the full oral history (1 hour and 20 minutes) via our One Search catalogue. 

Henrietta Marrie AM

Henrietta Marrie AM is an Elder of the Yidinji tribe in the Cairns region. She is an Indigenous rights activist, advocate for the rights of her own Gimuy Walubarra Yidinji families, as well as for the cultural rights of Indigenous peoples nationally and internationally. She has been a senior fellow at the United Nations University, an Adjunct Associate Professor with the Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining at the University of Queensland, and Associate Professor, Office of Indigenous Engagement at the Cairns campus of the Central Queensland University. In 2018, she was named as one of the Queensland Greats by Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. She is an Honorary Professor with the Australian Research Council (ARC) Training Centre for Uniquely Australian Foods based at the University of Queensland. Since 2003, Henrietta Marrie has been focussed towards Cairns, first working as the Christensen Fund's North Australian Program Officer assisting the philanthropic organisation distribute grants and funds to help promote, sustain, and encourage Indigenous biocultural diversity across Australia's north. Interviewed by Louise Hunter on 20 May 2022.

You can watch Henrietta's digital story (1 minute) below or view the full oral history (1 hour and 53 minutes) via our One Search catalogue.

Ernie Grant

Ernie Grant is an Elder of the Jirrbal people from the Tully area in Far North Queensland. He was raised in the traditional culture of his people and credits his mother Chloe, for instilling in him a great desire to learn everything about his Aboriginal heritage. He also has wide experience in broader society including many years in research. He is widely recognised for his deep understanding of the unique characteristics of Indigenous languages and culture. Ernie’s holistic planning and teaching framework was officially launched by ISSU (Indigenous Schooling Support Unit) in 2006, and has proven proven successful within the Queensland Education Department. Interviewed by Louise Hunter on 17 May 2022

You can watch Ernie's digital story (1 minute) below or view the full oral history (57 minutes) via our One Search catalogue.

Ernie Raymont

Ernie Raymont is a Mumu-Ngadjon Elder who grew up in the rainforests of Tropical North Queensland. For many years he has guided tour groups through the rainforest around Malanda, the town that grew out of Boonjie, explaining the region’s Aboriginal heritage. He shares from his storehouse of local knowledge how the forests provided for food, shelter, weapons and homewares. He educates school children and the wider public about what can be eaten and when, where to search for witchetty grubs, and how to find water in the most surprising places. Interviewed by Sarah Scragg on 11 July 2022.

You can watch Ernie's digital story (1 minute) below or view the full oral history (1 hour) via our One Search catalogue.

Further reading

• First Nations collections held by State Library of Queensland
• In their own words - Stories from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women (blog article)

Dr Robert Anderson OAM

Dr Robert Vincent (Bob) Anderson OAM is a Ngugi Elder from Mulgumpin in Quandamooka, South East Queensland. In this interview, recorded during Reconciliation week in May 2022 at State Library of Queensland, Dr Anderson talks about his work in the fields of reconciliation, native title, social justice, workers' rights and youth welfare. He grew up in Woolloongabba, a suburb of Brisbane, in the 1940s and 1950s, experiencing racism and taking part in the removal of curfew laws in Brisbane. Interviewed by Olivia Robinson in May 2022. 

You can watch Bob's digital story (1 minute 25 second) below or watch the full oral history (1 hour and 44 minutes) via our One Search catalogue.